Upper Chest Exercises for Awesome Pecs

Building up a good sized chest with great definition is no easy task. If it were, a lot more guys would be walking around looking like Brad Pitt from Troy. I hope you are aware of the following, but you can’t rely on the Barbell Bench Press. In fact, it’s a hugely overrated exercise that somehow became this illusionary “Holy Grail” of all chest exercises, when in fact it is an exercise I avoid. Yes, everyone loves to know how much you can bench. Well you better stop caring, because you won’t be doing much of that exercise anymore if you want to create an outstanding pectoral region.

You see, building a great chest consists of a number of factors, and it is absolutely imperative that you work these muscles strategically in order to create the best look. Remember, muscle needs to be strategically gained, or you risk looking like an overly muscular Pillsbury Dough Boy. And as delicious as his biscuits are, you don’t want to look like him.

There are some exercises you should avoid, simply because they add muscle to your chest, but in the wrong places. Mostly flat and decline type chest exercises. Shocked? Check out the free videos from “Visual Impact” by Rusty Moore of Fitness Blackbook to see what the heck I’m talking about. (By the way, Visual Impact is the most comprehensive and accurate fitness tool out there right now as far as I’m concerned… A Must Read!)

Okay, let’s go over what makes a great looking chest:

What you want:

• Enough muscle mass to create an athletic and aesthetic look (ha, that rhymes!)
• Squareish in shape, not overly rounded
• Angular and dense
• Well proportioned when compared to the rest of your physique
• “Even pecs” (emphasis placed on entire chest)
• A solid upper chest, which people often neglect, thanks to the Flat Bench Press. Grrr…
• A distinct line separating your chest down the middle
• Separation from the chest to your lower torso

What you don’t want:

• Over emphasis on the lower/mid pec, which creates the rounded man boob look!
• Hairy nipples

There are so many people who love the flat bench press so dearly, they forget about the upper portion of their chest, which is the portion that actually creates the squareish angular shape (good thing). If you have an under-developed upper chest, focus on chest presses involving an incline bench. The flat stuff will be secondary to incline exercises.

If your chest is lacking in size, you will be dedicating a lot of focus toward compound exercises, which will stimulate more growth. A compound exercise works several muscles or muscle groups at a time. As opposed to an isolation exercise, which works only one muscle at a time. While isolation exercises do have much value, they do not produce growth as significantly as compound exercises do. The foundation of your chest will be built upon compound movements. The isolation exercises will be used chisel it into something that resembles Hercules.

(If you are doing chest exercises, but not really “feeling it” in your chest, odds are your form is off – a slight difference can pretty much turn the bench press into a shoulder/tricep exercise)

After countless hours in the gym, I’ve learned which exercises work best at creating the best chest possible. I’ve also learned which ones to limit or avoid, because they build muscle in the wrong areas, creating a bad look.

The Best Chest Exercises

Gironda Barbell Press - This is a great exercise to lead off your routine with. The initial setup looks like an ordinary barbell bench press, but instead of bringing the bar to mid/lower chest, you are going to change the ending position, lowering the bar toward your neck/chin. This will stimulate the chest muscles like you wouldn’t believe. You will most likely need to lower the weight from what you were doing on flat bench, because now you’re actually using your chest muscles! Best part? The Gironda Press hits upper, mid and lower chest all at once. It’s probably the number 1 exercise for all-around pectoral growth. Nice! Take note that this is a bit stressful on the shoulder joints, so take it easy if you have shoulder problems. But the muscle targeted is without question chest.

Dip/Weighted Dip – Bodyweight exercises can really improve muscular strength, and the dip is no exception. In fact, other than the pullup and its hundreds of variations, the dip is probably my second favorite bodyweight exercise. Form is critical here if you want the primary focus to be on the chest – most people lean too far back and the tricep becomes the “primary mover”. To keep emphasis on the chest, you want to lean forward and look down at the floor. When bodyweight alone becomes too easy, you may choose to stick a dumbbell between your feet or legs. As always, my buddy Yavor has a great post showing how to do this properly. Check it out!

Incline Dumbbell Press – This is also a great exercise using a barbell, but I prefer dumbbells. You don’t need a crazy-high incline either. 45 degrees should be the absolute maximum. Otherwise your shoulders become the focus. I suggest about a 60 degree angle as a starting point. You can also vary is slightly, up or down, to ensure you’re hitting every part of your upper chest. To make the exercise most effective, raise the dumbbells up toward the middle and make them lightly touch. This will make you squeeze your pecs together at the top, and create a harder contraction. My buddy Scott Herman shows you proper setting and form.

Dumbbell Squeeze Press – John Romaniello is the man behind the video in this one. He runs Roman Fitness Systems and his posts are not only very informative, but also extremely entertaining. Basically you will grab a pair of dumbbells and an incline bench (again, I suggest a 60 degree angle). Hold the dumbbells together in the middle and “push them together” as you lift upward. This will generate the hardest contraction possible, and will make the exercise much more effective (and difficult). Great for upper and inner chest development.

Decline Pushup – Pretty self-explanatory here. You can use either a bench or a swiss ball for an added challenge. Heck, you can pretty much use anything as long as you elevate your feet. Use your midget friend’s shoulders if you like. Now assume the pushup position and maintain good form. This is going to nail the inner and upper segments of your chest, which are usually the most stubborn to create growth in.

Rep Schemes

You will determine the number of reps per set to aim for based on which direction you want to go, physically. For growth, aim for the 8-12 range; and go to failure, or close to it. For strength and density, aim for 3-7 reps; and always stop 1 or 2 reps short of failure.

You’ll probably be able the hit more than 12 reps for dips and pushups, in which case you can either add extra resistance, or simple leave it alone. Bodyweight exercises can be done in higher rep ranges you will still reap the benefits.

Sample Chest Workout Routine

1. Gironda Neck Press – 3 sets
2. Incline DB Press – 3 sets
3. DB Squeeze Press – 3 sets
4. Dip/Weighted Dip – 3 sets
5. Decline Pushup – 3 sets

I’ve got to remind you, diet is 80% of what your body will look like, so as always – Make sure your nutrition plan is solid or risk spinning your wheels. “You cannot out exercise a bad diet.” Remember that. Give this chest workout a run and let me know what you think. I’m sure there’s at least one exercise up there you haven’t tried, or even heard of. Who knows, maybe it will be your new favorite!